In Mark Twain'sThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, young Huck embarks on a journey that takes him through many challenges and eventually a physical and emotional reformation. Huck learns to defy society and cast off all biased principles that society has imposed on him, and instead listen to his heart and do what he believes is right. While he does overcome many obstacles along the way and eventually conquers the most daunting challenge he has yet faced on his journey, Huck still remains an incomplete hero. Despite the events that lead Huck to undergo his transformation, he only matures to the extent at where and when his adventure ends. Beyond that, Huck's change has little consequence on the future he chooses. Although Huck is a hero to those who he helped in the course of his journey, in the end, his young innocence (or ignorance?) causes Huck to fall short of being the greatest hero he can be by failing to save himself.
The cover of the first edition of Adventures of Hu...
Illustration of Jim and Huckleberry Finn, by EW Ke...
mark twain Category:Mark Twain imagesThroughout his adventurous journey, Huck first begins with all the naiveté possible that could have been instilled upon him by civilization. Huck's father, Pap, first kidnaps him and thus sets into motion the events leading up to Huck's eventual escape.
"But by and by pap got too handy with his hick'ry, and I couldn't stand it. I was all over welts. He got to go away so much, too and locking me in... I was scared. I made up my mind I would fix up some way to leave there." (Twain 24) During his captivity in Pap's cabin where he is starved and beaten, Huck lives in fear of his father but at the same time he feels disgusted with him. Huck's goal to never become Liou 2 the kind of man his father is drives...